Balladeer

I am pleased by this.

Yeah, the people at CalRef now, save for Neb and a handful of RL friends, used to post at SW a lot. Iffy and Nalyd were quite prolific back in the day. Myself, I find it difficult to find time to post/chat at either place much but when I do find it I usually spend it there.

Well, my plan is to ultimately get them to give me a year of hosting free for even daring to suggest that my tiny little website is too much for their servers to handle.

 

Implementation is still a work in progress but the secret weapon is available and will be brought out if needed.

 

Edit: And really their complaint was the # of requests rather than the bandwidth. Shouldn't be too hard to fix, but still... We can't even be close to what a 'real' website is using.

'Unlimited' Bandwidth doesn't actually mean 'Unlimited' I guess. After a couple years of having a well used chat, FatCow has decided we're using too much of our 'Unlimited' bandwidth with it and demanded that it be deleted or no website.

 

...

 

Of course, they have the right to decide how much of 'Unlimited' is too much, since they gave it to themselves in their Terms of Service...

 

Who knew half a dozen people could talk so much?

Necro for lack of wanting a new thread.

 

 

Speaking of Mensa, I looked them up with their 'member benefits' but it didn't look all that great. I mean, other than an ego boost to lord over the other 97% and an 80% discount on Popular Science I'm not seeing anything worth the annual membership fee.

 

Am I missing anything? Anyone with Mensa experience who can vouch for the social aspect of it?

My bank only allows passwords of up to 8 characters... I tried entering the same number of letters, numbers, and symbols it has (some of each) and its only secure for 1 year. That sucks.

I created one of my own when it was possible. Someone took it away when they decidedly thought I was undeserving. So I use my Avatar instead.

*brings balloons and devils food cake*

I misspoke. I do not miss TM. I miss the pre-censored days.

 

But I regress. Apologies. I did not mean to be so short as to sound arrogant in my post. I should have waited until I had more time to respond.

 

I was simply pointing out that his definition of sin ignored its wide use to describe the violation of religious or moral law. Thus my 'quotes' around the word when saying the Bible was the authority on it. I know Buddhism does not accredit the existence of religious or moral sin and neither do atheists believe that any of their acts, morally good or not, are sin. I suppose, though, that I am biased to the New Testament for even the Old allowed for "an eye for an eye". Yet "...love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." Really, are there any? In all the laws of all the societies of all the world are there any laws against such tenants?

 

So why say kindness and peace should ever be wrong? A law against forgiveness? A rule against mercy? Foregoing religious influences all together, do you really believe, Brocktree, that there should be a law against teaching people to be nice in the face of persecution?

 

If everyone was always kind there would be no bullies. Just because the expectation of everyone (or even a percentage of people) adopting such a philosophy is, as you said, 'far from reality' why is it wrong to hope to instill such a value in even one person?

 

Edit: Just an afterthought... anyone consider Slarty a bully for using the threat of locking the thread to keep us civil? Anyone consider parents bullies for using the threat of grounding to elicit positive behavior from children? Anyone consider teachers bullies for using the threat of detention to keep students on task? They are inline with the examples of the police and governments.

 

In each situation I see potential for abuse. But having the authority to use such threats does not automatically make any of them bullies. It is in how they use that authority.

 

You speak of sin as if you understand what the word even means. From the authority on what is 'sin' and what is not:

"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;" - Matthew 5:44 KJV

I would still not want to put a gun in their hands. That can lead to things like Columbine. A dead bully cannot learn to be a better person.

 

Self-defense training, good. Track & Field training, better. Offensive beat-up-the-kids-who-constantly-humiliate-and-torment-you training, potential for disaster.

 

In either case, the armed bullied person has just been taught how to be more like the bully. To use force or threats of force to gain what they want; to be left alone. And I would say they are more dangerous than the bullies because they would be more likely fight out of anger and revenge than for the laughs or social status. This may be Handyman's point, but I say it would only escalate the violence on both sides.

 

I look at it this way. If my younger daughter comes to me crying and says that her older sister has been mean to her, I do not say 'go be mean back'. It would only give my older daughter all the more reason to be mean in the first place, vindicating her actions in her own eyes.

 

Now, I could just punish my older daughter and make her say sorry though she say it through clenched teeth and likely feels more like getting revenge for the tattling. But if I instead say 'try doing something nice for her' and it is successfully executed, my older daughter now has more reason to be nice and may feel guilty for being mean in the first place eliciting a sincere apology. Is it rewarding the bully... or breaking the cycle?

 

In high school there was a girl who really disliked me. I wouldn't say she bullied me but she said nasty things behind my back and scowled whenever we crossed paths. At Christmas time I decided to give out presents to my friends, and I included a nice necklace with matching earrings for her. At school I handed it to her and said 'Merry Christmas' with a smile. To cut a long description of the effect short, she was dumbfounded and from that day was at least courteous if not better to me.

 

When the bullied fight back it enforces the cycle. When the bullied show kindness the cycle can be broken.

Violence begets violence. Compassion begets compassion. I would rather attempt to disarm the bullies and fail, then arm the bullied and succeed.

Apologies, but I do not understand your comment. Nico did expound on the statement though not directly. And my statement does not victim-blame, neither does it absolve the aggressor. Rather it criticizes the way that bullying is dealt with.

 

Really, more than teaching people to be 'normal', though, I think society would greatly benefit from actively teaching all children to have more compassion. Schools have left this critical piece of social learning to parents, counselors, and religions to teach. I think parents(including myself), though mostly well meaning, drop the ball in the execution. The same for religions. Counselors do a pretty good job as far as they can but so few people invest in utilizing them.

It has already been affirmed that it is not the 'fault' of the bullied, per say, but rather a natural consequence of having the qualities that make bullying them, well, enjoyable.

 

When I think of the kids that got bullied in my own grade, I remember them saying and doing very odd things to begin with. But then they would lash out with even odder comebacks and dramatic reactions when picked on for it. Personality traits or genetic tendencies that caused them to behave against the norm and some kids find enticing that kind of reaction enjoyable. It wasn't their fault for processing information differently, but if more effort would have gone into teaching them how to behave 'normally' than just punishing those who bullied them for being odd the bullying could have been lessened rather than policed.

I took a color preference one and it said I was first a creator: writer, web designer, interior decorator, musician, etc; and second an organizer: accountant, administrative assistant, banker, etc.

 

I didn't know what to expect seeing as how all I did was tell it which colors I liked the best and which I liked the least, but I would say it is fairly accurate.

I wouldn't say I was bullied, but the 'popular' kids did pick on me a bit. I did my best to make it unfun for them as in I ignored their taunts.

 

I remember one time in middle school when they decided to play a trick on me. One popular guy started being nice to me; picking up my books when I dropped them, saying hi and whatnot. Two weeks later when I had made no move to upset the status quo a couple of the girls started telling me that he liked me and wanted me to ask him out. I told them 'yea right' they said 'no really'. In my head I'm thinking 'Why doesn't he just ask me then?' I finally got tired of them bugging me about it and asked him if he wanted to go skating. Course he said no, and they all said it was a joke. I rolled my eyes and went back to ignoring their taunts. I think they were hoping for something more dramatic.

 

That was as bad as it ever got. The only time I got in trouble for fighting, it was ironically with a friend. She called me a name, I called her a worse one, she pushed me when I was off balance and I fell. A teacher saw it and gave us both detention. We passed notes back and forth during the whole thing. What a laugh.

 

As for cyberbullying... I miss TM.

eww...

What about my 294?

 

 

291. Exersociatique - Bonus points if you have any clue where this one came from

 

This came from an exercise video on social antiques.

 

313. HOUSEHOOOOOOLD NYMENS - Breaking in the vernacular

 

And trying out all those household names.

313. HOUSEHOOOOOOLD NYMENS - Bonus points if you have any clue where this one came from

 

I really don't have any clue where this comes from but my guesses are it relates to household names, and NY men, some of which may be household names. How about House the TV series? He's getting oooooooold.

 

291. Exersociatique - 4-2 feature

 

The social etiquette of exercising is a feature of the newest release of Wii fit 4.2. (Okay, not really but...)

 

299. Bidirectional Reflection Whale - Breaking in the vernacular

 

It's a PDN of a new slarty-language.

The Gargamel/Gilgamesh was just a word association thing. Like what I'm gonna do with this next clue.

 

294. Leadendy - Really not going anywhere

 

Word association makes me think of Legendary which is the catch phrase for Barney in How I met your mother. The whole of the series is supposed to represent a father telling his kids how he met their mother and the story goes on and on and on without really going anywhere. With the current spelling we have end and dead and lead all of which would lend to someone being unable to go anywhere especially if filled with lead.

317. WHOWHAT THREW SPACEDRAIN WATCHE! - Black hole Howl?

 

A black hole could be considered a space drain. The rest of the non-sense may be the last words of someone flying into one. Or a question "who or what went through the black hole?" Was it a watch?

317. WHOWHAT THREW SPACEDRAIN WATCHE! - THIS IS WHAT I MEAN!!!

 

While the PDN itself is impossible to understand, it may refer to someone who has to try to decipher things like this all the time. Internet customer service, anyone?

 

298. Intension - Really not going anywhere

 

The untraveled road is paved in good intentions. Tension can be related to stretching something where, while it gets larger or tighter, it does not move.

Intension is also a song by Tool with the line "moved by will alone". If the will has only good intentions, again it will not go anywhere.

 

316. THE GILGAMESH IN THE GARR GARR - King demon?

 

Gilgamesh reminds me of Gargamel in the smurfs though its likely not the reference. In The Epic of Gilgamesh he is portrayed as a king above all kings so garr garr refers to a demon or the underworld?

Last run for the night.

 

323. ALT DOT STUPID ENSIGN - Die die die

 

Though I am loath to say it this makes me think of ensign Wesley Crusher. Even though his acting skills were subpar, Wil Wheaton was my first celebrity crush. (so sue me, I was 8) Pairing it with the clue... well I know there are those more vocal with their opinion of his poor acting skills and simply not liking the character... the heathens!

 

301. The Secret of Eureka - Sealed area in Sylx Tower

 

A secret in a sealed area? Very likely. I'm sure it's a reference to a game I have never played before.

 

304. Caudes Consultem - With the approval of the blockheads

 

Consultants could give their opinions and approval for things. So... Caudes are blockheads?

 

291. Exersociatique - Breaking in the vernacular

 

Just another of Slarty's great new words. Makes me think of breaking in new running shoes, eh? Socializing and critiquing are both using some kind of communication.

296. Quantifier Bloat - Existing too much and too universally

 

A quantifier expresses how much there is of something. To be bloated is to be overfull.